Touchdown
by haveyounomercy
Summary: Toganou has rid his life of football and is now busying himself with his other passion, manga. Something happens to his plans, though, and he finds himself looking at a face of the past, and likely, the future. Toganou/Karin, futurefic
1. Prologue

**A/N Er… I've been a fan of this fandom for a long long time, and I've written two or three little one-shots for it, but never something like this. This kind of plot bunny just popped into my head, so don't expect too much out of it. After all, it's been a long time I've written het. **

**The pairing is Toganou/Karin, because of their obvious passions for manga. I guess this means that this is a futurefic, set when Toganou is 25 and… um, someone tell me how old Karin was in the manga please? XD I am so lame. I hope you enjoy this try at romance. It also contains a few spoilers for up until the ending of the manga because I have not watched the anime.**

**Disclaimer: Let's be reasonable now, shall we?**

* * *

Prologue

Toganou was living the dream life.

Or at least, the closest thing he could get to it.

Grunting, he pushed his ringing alarm clock off of his bedside table. Rubbing his sleepy eyes, he rubbed some of the newly acquired stubble that had gathered on his chin. After yawning for a few more minutes, he finally lifted himself out of his small bed, cussing when he accidentally stepped on the alarm clock that was still ringing.

Switching it off, he blinked sleepily at the time. If he hurried, he could probably get to work a few minutes early, and if he slacked off, he would probably make the appointment fashionably late. Either way, he didn't really care what he was going to do, since he had just been fired from a previous job and was rather bitter about it still.

Shaving off his stubble and gelling his hair into the usual wild mess, Toganou splashed his face with cold water. Even if he was bitter, he needed this new job. First impressions counted (a lesson he had learned from a certain high school quarterback), and if he wanted to keep living his poor life, he would have to suffer the consequences.

But then, his job was never really stable anyways. He was part of the team at Shounen Jump, a popular magazine that ran weekly filled with the coolest and most popular manga. His job was to help aspiring and hardworking mangaka by drawing backgrounds and filling in blanks. Yes, Toganou was an assistant. A helper.

Oh, fuck it. He was the person who sat down in front of a desk with an ink pen and large panels in front of him that was enslaved to the author of the manga he was supposed to be assisting in making.

As he thought of how dreary his life as a unsuccessful 25-year old was, he ran a final comb through his hair before shrugging on some decent clothes.

Hopping onto his motorbike (after fastening on his helmet and wild goggles, safety first), he revved up the engine and ripped away from the small one room apartment that he worked hard to live in, but ended up not spending much time in anyway.

Stopping at an intersection, he wondered what his new boss would be like. They had said it was a girl, and a young one at that. She had a lot of potential, and some great ideas, they had said.

Idly, Toganou wondered how long she would last in the tough world of manga. After all, he was pretty tough himself, but had broken down by the end of a few months. He just wasn't suited for it, the editors had told them. Maybe he should try being an assistant for a while, they had suggested.

He daydreamed for a bit on his way to the girl's house. He had been told that since she was very shy, he was going to be the only helper for a little while until she decided she could take on more people. Apparently she was pretty stubborn-headed and was always trying to spend more work on the drawings instead of letting her assistants do the work.

Fine for him, he thought. He was a slacker from birth, and the only time he had ever felt fired up was many years ago, in his high school freshman days. After that year, that wonderful exhilarating year, he had never been the same. He was determined. He had a goal. He was ready to actually _work_.

Over time, though, the excitement wore off. In college, his grades had dropped so low that he couldn't even participate in sports anymore. That year, he dropped out of school and never went back. School was for losers, and Toganou Shozou was certainly no loser. In fact, he had even gotten rid of his habit of always wearing his tinted glasses, except when he was about to really concentrate on something.

When asked if the sudden change had anything to do with Toganou's new obsession with _Sket Dance_, the questioner was soon given a fat lip. Nobody has remarked on it since.

Taking off his helmet and trademark glasses, Toganou got off his motorbike and stared at the apartment in front of him. It was one of the more common ones, very plain and modest with a touch of modern conformity. Sighing, he locked his bike to a pole and slipped his goggles/glasses into his bag. Slinging the messenger bag over one shoulder, he went to the front of the building, fumbling with the piece of paper where he had scribbled down the address of the apartment.

Pressing the button for the correct apartment, he lazily drawled "It's your assistant," when asked who he was through the crackly machine. Sighing, he prepared himself for the worst as he walked through the doors to almost sure death.

* * *

Fixing his hair inside the elevator, he took his time getting to the right door, before realizing that it was unlocked and slightly open. Raising an eyebrow, he walked into the house and locked the door after him. At the sound of the lock turning into place, he heard a muffled "I'm over here" from another room.

Looking around, Toganou couldn't help but feel impressed. The shelves were lined of manga of all genres, from newly released to old-time favourites. At a closer look, he whistled in appreciation. By the looks of some of the older ones, she was a heavy-duty collector.

Running a hand over the covers, he couldn't fight the smile that blossomed on his face. So maybe this wasn't what he had planned his future to be. But that didn't mean that he didn't enjoy it once in a while. And someone with this great a taste couldn't possibly be mean, right?

Walking through the small hallway, he realized with a jolt just how big the seemingly small apartment was. It had a small kitchen just big enough to cook up a light meal, a little bathroom, and even a closed door where he suspected led to a small bedroom. It was homely, and entirely unlike his own condo. For one, it was actually clean.

Then he got to the last room at the end of the hallway. Eyebrows shooting upwards, he surveyed the mess that was supposed to be a study. Papers and pens lay scattered everywhere, with only the slightest room around to navigate carefully throughout the room. It was spacious, with room for one large desk and two smaller ones accompanied by a computer, a printer, a scanner and a fax machine.

At the large desk, Toganou could see a small bobbing head of blonde hair floating around the large stacks of paper that surrounded her. Coughing into his hand, he stood there awkwardly.

"Hm?" A small voice seemed to squeak out. After a bit of fumbling and other sorts of strange sounds, a stack of paper was taken away from the desk so that they could see each other.

They both blinked. Once. Twice.

"Aren't you-" They both blurted out at the same time. The girl, blushing, gestured for him to continue. Toganou, being a gentleman, shook his head. They went on like this for a brief period of time before Toganou let out a sigh.

"Aren't you that girl quarterback from the Alexanders?" He asked, eyeing the familiar face. Yes, she didn't look that different. Her hair, still that light blonde, was shorter and tied into a bun with a few strands hanging around her face, enveloped her red cheeks like a halo. On her nose perched a pair of glasses that she quickly took off and placed on her desk.

"Mm." She nodded, letting out a small smile. Toganou found himself fighting down the urge to smile back. "You're from Deimon… correct?" Her soft voice had a hint of shyness to it.

"Yeah." Toganou looked around. What was he supposed to do? Sit down and reminisce about how his former team had squished hers to the ground and torn up their dreams? He didn't think so.

Karin broke into a slightly larger smile that made her face look even more angel-like. Why Toganou was comparing his new boss to an angel, he wasn't too sure.

"Those were the good old days, weren't they?" She asked softly, getting out of her chair to walk awkwardly across the room to get to where Toganou was standing. Looking up at him, she felt herself slightly disappointed at the fact that she was a whole head shorter than he.

She didn't know why she felt so at ease already with the boy-no, man in front of her. Maybe it was because of the harmless half-asleep aura that he was giving off, maybe it was because he represented a very tender and sweet time from her past, or maybe it was something deeper than that. Whatever it was, she didn't feel the burning sensation to run and hide in a small corner like she usually did around people that weren't very close to her.

That didn't stop her from her very nasty habit of blushing, though.

"Karin Koizumi." She stretched out a thin, trembling hand.

Grasping it as a small smile worked its way onto his face, Toganou shook it, amazed by how delicate and small it seemed compared to his big gruff ones. Didn't she use to play American Football as well? Where had the calluses gone? "Toganou Shozou. I'll be in your care."

Still smiling lightly, Karin gripped Toganou's hand and gave him a firm handshake along with a small shock. At that moment, they both realized something about each other.

Toganou found that she did have calluses if you searched for them along her not-so-smooth hands, and it seemed that she had developed a few tough calluses on her heart as well. Well, he would've thought that if he was the romantic sort. And one look at Toganou Shozou would definitely tell you that he was _not_ the romantic sort.

Karin noticed that even though she had probably just given him the shock that sweet little Karin Koizumi had grown some resolve and could do a good handshake; it had only lasted for a few seconds before his face reverted back to its normal version. Had his eyes always been this nice? She didn't remember.

Suddenly, they both noticed that they were still shaking hands. Karin, red in the face (hey, old habits died hard), snatched her hand away, muttering apologies.

Toganou, not really minding, just shrugged, and sort of wished she hadn't found out that quickly. And could you blame him? He was a 25-year old guy now, and he didn't have a lot of luck with the ladies. This was probably the nicest thing he'd had happened to him since he had had that fling in that bar with that girl a couple of months ago.

Scanning the messy study again, he eyed the two smaller desks. "Where do I work?"

"Ah, over there." Karin hurriedly pointed at the desk closest to her, still a little flustered. Since she had decided to devote her life to manga, she really hadn't had much contact with the outside world, let alone guys. Which only destroyed a lot of the backbone she had grown over the years. Sure, she could handle herself a lot better and keep a straight head on her shoulders, but inside she was still that flustered, shy girl that really just wanted to be with the ones she enjoyed doing the things she enjoyed.

Toganou cracked another smile despite himself. "Alright." Trudging his way through the papers and junk lying on the floor, he started taking out the stuff he had been carrying in his bag.

* * *

His supplies littered the table after he successfully moved all the mess that had occupied it before, only looking slightly neater. After that, a water bottle and some manga to pass the time with were set on the floor beside him, close enough to reach out and grab if necessary. And of course, his beloved glasses were placed on the table as well.

Karin, who had been watching him, propped her elbows on her desk and stared at him.

"What?" Asked Toganou, feeling uncomfortable as he arranged some of his stuff into something resembling organization.

"Sorry," Karin immediately apologized, earning a raised eyebrow. "It's just that…" She fidgeted with the pen on her desk. "I thought you'd be the type to smoke."

Karin jumped at the sound of rumbling laughter. Looking up, she was surprised to see Toganou laughing, his eyes filling with amusement.

"Did some of your old employees smoke?" He continued on as she nodded. "Well, I don't. Not anymore, anyways. Haven't touched a cigarette since high school." And it was true. Although he could have taken to smoking again when he decided to quit college and football, he had somehow built up a resistance to it, making him unreasonably sick when he tried. After more failed attempts, he chose to just toss the whole habit in the gutter. It wasn't healthy for him, anyways.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Karin shuddered. "I'm happy that you quit. Even though I wouldn't have stopped you, it would have really bothered me if you were still smoking." Her voice trailed off at the last half of the sentence, tinted with something that sounded like sadness.

Choosing to not delve into the topic, Toganou cleared his throat and eyed the stacks of paper everywhere. "So. Are you planning on telling me what you're writing soon?"

Blushing, Karin let out a nervous titter of laughter. "Right." Picking up her glasses again, she put them on and searched around her desk for a while. Emerging with a manila coloured envelope moments later, she stretched out and let it fall onto the tip of Toganou's desk.

Reaching to grab it, Toganou opened it and gently took out the papers that were enclosed inside the folder. His breath catching in his throat, his lips pursed into a thin line.

Karin, not seeing his reaction, smiled. "It's a sports manga. I plan on calling it _Touchdown_."

Toganou's stomach dropped four storeys down into the ground as he stared at the all-too-familiar image that covered the front page.

It seemed that American Football wasn't ready to leave his life just yet.

* * *

For all of you who don't know these Japanese terms, I'll explain them shortly for you.

_Mangaka_ An author or artist who makes manga for a living

_Sket Dance_ A funny gag manga that runs in Shounen Jump (I think) with a main character who always puts on these goggle things when he needs to concentrate on something


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N I don't know why this story is so hard to write. The characters always seem not themselves and the plot feels strange. ****Probably because I'm not the typical romance writer. There's also the fact of this chapter, which is undeniably sub-par. Sorry for it, I couldn't work out anything else in my mind. Is it too short? Too long? Please tell me anything, I love feedback.**

**Thanks to the reviewers, you made my day by sending those lovely sentences in. Maybe you could send some more in? =D**

**Disclaimer: Let's be reasonable now, shall we?**

* * *

Chapter 1

"Dude, are you serious?" Loud, rambunctious laughter combined with the sour smell of beer was thrown in Toganou's face.

Taking a swig from his own jug, Toganou grinned foolishly. "Fuck off." He said, still grinning like an idiot.

"I can't believe you're working for that girl!" The man in the business suit in front of him continued on, barking out an order for his third refill in the meantime. "It sure is a small world, hey?"

"Small my ass." Toganou nodded at the pretty little bartender who came and collected their empty jugs. "Speaking of asses…" He stared as the little bartender walked off, happily oblivious.

A hand came out of nowhere to push him back roughly. "Hey, that's my girlfriend, dumbass!" Kuroki angrily shouted as Toganou wobbled on his chair for a while.

"With that face, I'm surprised." Toganou earned another rough push from his long-time friend. Grinning again, he looked at the guy in front of him, remembering all the stupid shit they'd gotten into. And now where were they? Juumonji, who wasn't there, was one of those high school gym teachers who constantly belted out "Back in my day, we ran up the whole fucking Tokyo Tower with a bag of ice cubes on our back in the middle of a sweltering heat wave, so shut you little traps, whiners!" and made small, defenceless children cry.

Kuroki, now dressed smartly in a suit with a briefcase and everything, was a loan shark from the shadier side of town. Cruel and reckless, he was the one who they sent to break down doors and order the payment that was long overdue. After work, he usually went to the bar to hang out and pick up girls. Despite his flirty nature, though, it was Juumonji who got the most girls, surprisingly. It probably had to do with his face.

And there he was, sitting in the dim little bar, getting stone-cold drunk like he always did whenever he met up with Kuroki. A poor, lonely manga assistant who had nothing better to do than call up his buddies and go out bar-hopping. It was a sad life, but it was his.

Chugging down his beer, Toganou felt the world around him swirl. Blinking rapidly, he knew it was time to leave. It was always time to leave when the world stopped turning and started heaving like he did in the mornings after a long night out.

Paying the pretty little bartender, he bid his friend goodbye. Kuroki would go on until the bar closed, Toganou knew. He wasn't an alcoholic, but boy could he drink. And that was why they didn't go out drinking too often. Most times Kuroki would spend half of his monthly rent on the bill, and it would be another month or two before he could start eating solid food again.

Stumbling out onto the street, Toganou stared drowsily at the wide open sky above him. He had had such a bright future once. They all did. But now…

He could hear Kuroki shouting from inside the bar. He knew that Juumonji was probably getting it on with the History teacher he had been talking about when they had met up at a party a week ago. He himself would probably drop onto his bed later in the morning and wake up smelling like booze and sweat.

Sadly, the drunken Toganou knew that he would never amount to anything in life. It had always been this way. From being a high school delinquent to the drop-out from college. His buddies, especially Juumonji, would most likely live it rough for the next few years, but die old and happy.

The way he was living, though, meant that very very soon he would die middle-aged, broke, starving, and homeless. These depressing thoughts filled his mind as he slowly started walking home.

* * *

"Heeeeey!" The loud slur of words woke Toganou. Blinking, he realized that he had fallen asleep against a lamppost on his way home. Looking up at the sky, he noticed that it was still dark. How long had he been asleep?

"Didn'tcha hear me?" Came the obnoxious slurring again. Detaching himself from the lamppost, Toganou looked behind him.

Of course.

"Kuroki, what the hell are you doing?" He stared, still a little woozy, at his friend.

Kuroki just grinned. God, he was stoned.

"You wanna have some fun?" He grinned. "Just like old times?"

Toganou opened his mouth to say no.

Something in his mind changed before he could, though. It was that look in Kuroki's eyes. That look of defeat. It seemed to be the exact same one he saw in the mirror every day. And suddenly, he knew.

He knew why Kuroki always got as drunk as a sailor. He knew why Kuroki always overreacted and didn't give a shit about what else happened.

Kuroki knew from a long time that he would never be anyone special in the world. So he was determined to live every bit of his life to the fullest, even if he had to live it stupidly.

Toganou shut his mouth. A grin fought a way onto his face, half out of alcohol and half out of amusement.

He was just good for nothing trash. That was obvious. But sometimes, staring at his best friend who was feeling the same thing, the same way, it didn't feel so bad anymore.

Toganou didn't go back to sleep that night.

* * *

"Good morning!" Chirped the voice from down inside the hallway. Toganou just grunted in response while shutting the door. He had received a key to the apartment the day before, and he was angrily pushing it into his pocket as he trudged through the sunny hallway.

Growling at every window he passed, he wondered if this was what Kuroki had to endure every morning. He had never been as crazy as he had the night before, running through the streets creating havoc and drinking beer until he felt like puking. Which he did not long after the morning sun rose. He then retreated back to his hellhole, to find that he was too hung over to sleep and too hung over to be awake.

Four hours later, he was disheveled, grumpy, tired, and still hung over. Not to mention smelly as hell.

Rubbing his eyes, he tried to find an excuse for his sad state. He found nothing. By the time he was at the study, staring into that innocent face, he could only blink at the big huge window that was hanging right above her desk.

At that moment, he was pretty sure he knew how Dracula felt.

* * *

"Are you okay?" Karin looked up through her glasses at the half-dead… creature in front of her. Worried, she was about to get up and pour him a glass of water when he walked closer to her desk with a blank look on his face.

Confused, she watched him approach her desk.

"Can I… close that window?" His voice was hoarse and dry.

Karin hurriedly stood up and shut the blinds, worried about her assistant's health. Sure, she had only seen and worked with him a couple of times, but that was enough to know that he wasn't in a stable condition.

"Can I get you anything to drink?" She asked as he slumped down in his desk and looked dead.

"No thank you." He mumbled, putting his head in his hands and groaning.

Ignoring him, she moved to the kitchen to pour them both some water. When she returned, though, he was gone.

"Eh… Toganou-kun?" She called out, setting the two glasses on the spare desk. He had insisted against the 'Toganou-san', and she had agreed only on the terms that he wouldn't call her 'Karin-san'. Still, his name felt weird on her tongue.

Weird, but kind of nice as well. For a split second, she wondered if the name 'Shouzo' would feel nice too.

Shaking her head, she tried to tame her flaming cheeks as she went through the rooms, calling out his name softly.

Finally, she found him, in the middle of the bathroom, slumped against a wall, fast asleep. Smiling lightly, she prodded his shoulder lightly.

"Huh?" He opened his eyes halfway and regarded her sleepily. She resisted the urge to pet him and hug him like a pet or a baby brother.

"Toganou-kun, are you sleepy?" She smiled at his bewildered look.

"How did you know?" His words sounded a little slurred, as if he was still half-asleep.

"Come with me and I'll find you a better place to sleep, okay?" Karin pulled on the puppy-like Toganou's sleeve.

Not replying, Toganou let himself be slowly pulled up and into another room. He vaguely suspected that it was her bedroom, but then he felt himself falling onto that soft, soft bed and some nice smelling sheets covering him and…

Karin smothered a giggle as she heard a faint snore before she was even out the door. Closing the door, she headed back to the study to get some work done.

* * *

Toganou opened his eyes to see a pink ceiling.

He almost screamed.

Taking a deep breath, Toganou tried to remember where he was and why the hell he was there in the first place.

As he sat there in that purple bed with nice smelling sheets over him, bits and pieces of what had happened came back to him.

Running through the streets howling and screaming with Kuroki half-naked… Feeling like Dracula when he came to work… Falling asleep while trying to wash his hands… Karin…

Oh fuck. Karin.

Scrambling out of the bed, Toganou shivered all over. He had just slept… in his _bosses' bed_. He felt like screaming. Again. And then maybe after screaming his head off he'd go and puke.

Face twitching, he breathed in and out quickly, trying to calm his nerves. This was just way too creepy. Even for him, the one that lived on dark, creepy manga. This was real. And it was freaking him out.

Trying to rid his mind of the mental image of Karin sleeping in her bed, he closed his eyes and reached for the door. Anything to get out of there.

When he finally got back into the hallway of death, he breathed a sigh of relief. There was a limit to how close two people could get after just meeting. Especially if the two people had a business relationship. It'd be like sleeping in Kuroki's bed or something.

His brain screamed again for the unneeded mental pictures. He presently went to the bathroom and slammed his head against the wall a few times.

"Toganou-kun?"

Freezing, he stopped his head-banging to listen to the voice just outside his door. Poking his screaming head out, he stared at Karin.

"Is there something wrong? I hear a lot of banging." She stared up at him worriedly.

"No, nothing at all." Toganou's eyes drifted to the door of the open bedroom. He kicked himself behind the door.

"Oh, good." She smiled that sweet smile at him and he felt his insides turn. "Did you get enough sleep last night?" She asked him, taking off her glasses.

Toganou drew a blank. Thinking quickly, he said the first thing that came to mind. "There were some idiots fooling around and screaming in the early morning." He grunted.

She frowned. "Oh, I hate those kind of people. Don't they have any common courtesy for others?"

Toganou felt himself blush. "Yeah. They're really rude." Fiddling with the door handle, he cleared his throat awkwardly. "Uh, listen. I kind of want to go to the bathroom…"

A red heat wave struck Karin's face as she backed away. "Oh, yeah. Sure. Sorry about bothering you, take you time to do, uh, whatever you want to do. Not that I want to know." She babbled nervously, still backing up.

Toganou just nodded slowly as he shut the door. Sighing, he leaned against it, shutting his eyes.

Breathing a breath of relief, Karin closed the door to her bedroom and slumped against it. Closing her eyes, she put her hands over her cheeks.

The only thoughts that they had running through their minds was the amazement that their hearts could beat so fast.

* * *

"Sorry about today." Toganou mumbled as he filled in the background effects for one of the chapters.

"Hm?" Karin, absorbed in her work, replied absentmindedly.

"Nothing." Coughed Toganou.

They sat in silence, the only sounds of life coming from scratching pens and rustling paper.

"When is this being issued?" Toganou asked, unable to stand the silence.

Karin paused to check the calendar that hung above Toganou's head. "Next next week, on the 17th. I'm getting colour pages for my first chapter, so we've got two weeks to get it done. I plan on finishing chapter two and a bit of chapter three these two weeks as well, even though my editor says to beware of what the readers vote for." She chattered happily.

Staring at her, Toganou felt all his doubts wash away. This girl was going to make it. She was hardworking and stubborn as hell, as well as positive and upbeat about everything.

But most of all, she loved what she was doing.

A bitter smile on his lips, Toganou found the answer to the night before's drunken philosophy. He had failed everything that he touched. School, manga, even girls.

It was because he never loved any of those things. The two things that he had ever loved, though, came out differently.

His trash friends. They were still together and as stupid and hot-headed as ever, but that didn't stop them in the tiniest bit. He had a suspicious feeling that they all might even cry if one of them died.

And the other one. American Football. It had been his life, his passion, his… dream.

And now it was just his past.

What had he done wrong? Where did he step off of the rails of reality headfirst into the barrel of failure?

Lazily inking as he was thinking, Toganou decided that he needed to stop drinking with Kuroki. For one, he got severe headaches and he didn't think he would be able to digest anything anytime soon. And the other reason was definitely that he got all philosophical. He didn't need a Dr. Phil in his life, especially if that Dr. Phil was himself.

Grimacing, he took a drink of the glass of water in front of him. Eyes traveling to his right, he watched as Karin worked diligently on her art, face scrunching up in concentration.

Under the dim light that poured in from the closed blinds, her hair gave off the slightest glisten as she moved her head, mumbling words to herself.

Toganou felt himself take a sharp breath in.

She was beautiful.

Suddenly, he felt water dribbling on his chin. Jumping up, he held the empty glass in one hand as he tried to dry himself hastily with the other. Cursing, he proceeded to cause more mayhem as he knocked over a pile of papers.

As Karin came over to fret and try to help him, Toganou made himself a promise.

Yup, he definitely should stop drinking with Kuroki.


End file.
